My childhood hero was a pirate queen!

When Sherene asked me to think of a hero I held dear as a child, all I could think of was one I created: the Pirate Queen!  My pirate queen doesn't raid and burn, though. She is an adventurer. She is captain of her own ship and crew, and she braves the storms and sails the seas in search of treasure and excitement.

Many an adventure my pirate queen had, in the quiet of the night during my teen years. My sister Jeannie and I would lie awake immersed in the stories I made up, as we waited for sleep to catch us.

After my husband died a few years ago, I did become captain of my own boat, the 32' sloop Sea Change we co-owned. I taught my son to sail, and we sailed the "high seas" of Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands while I faced storms of fear and grief as a new widow.

It was the best thing I ever did for myself. I guess I am becoming my own hero.